Fighting for You

  • Pay So Low “People Won’t Even Come for an Interview,” Officials Say

    With no end in sight to the staffing vacancy crisis in state and local government, officials are once again admitting what HGEA has long contended: inadequate pay and benefits for public service jobs are hindering the recruitment and retainment of employees. “The pay is probably the biggest challenge,” said Dawn Apuna, the city’s director of…

  • “Survive Until the Midterms” — U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz Townhall

    U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has emerged as one of the strongest voices of opposition to the unprecedented assault being waged in Washington D.C. against working people by billionaires and anti-union extremists. The senator joined AFL-CIO members last week to offer his take on the current administration’s agenda of public service cuts, mass firings and devastating…

  • HGEA’s John Higgins to Sit On City Task Force to Examine HPD Vacancy Crisis

    A month after HGEA publicly called on the Honolulu City Council to expand its inquiry into police department vacancies to include civilian dispatchers, council members selected Union Agent John Higgins to sit on its 11-member panel to investigate the problem. His appointment marks a potential turning point in HPD’s years-long neglect to address recruitment and retainment of…

  • HGEA Voted Best Local Union in Hawaii

    More than 50,000 KITV viewers from across the state have spoken: the Hawaii Government Employees Association is the best local union in 2025. For 90 years HGEA has been on the front lines fighting for workers’ rights in the workplace, including job security, pay and benefits, good working conditions and fair treatment. We are proud…

  • RELEASE: HGEA Calls on City Council to Expand HPD Staffing Crisis Inquiry to Include Police Communication Officers

    Severe Shortage of Police Dispatchers in the Honolulu Police Department Threatens Public Safety The Hawaii Government Employees Association this week called on the Honolulu City Council to expand its recently established taskforce to tackle the Honolulu Police Department’s shortage of uniformed officers to include civilian police communication officers, commonly known as dispatchers. These vital employees…

  • RELEASE: HGEA scores temporary hazard pay win for nearly 1,300 Hawaii County employees

    The Hawaii Government Employees Association is pleased to have reached a resolution in our years-long dispute for temporary hazard pay on behalf of nearly 1,300 former and current employees of Hawaii County. These employees, who risked their health and safety to keep the county services operating during the prolonged global COVID-19 pandemic, have waited almost…

  • STATEMENT: Hawaii State Hospital employees warned lawmakers about Hale Ho‘ola defects.

    Statement From HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira “We’re surprised by how much lawmakers are shocked by the shoddy construction of Hale Hoʻola at Hawaii State Hospital. It’s not like our members – the men and women employed by the state facility – didn’t tell lawmakers about the design flaws, slapdash construction and safety defects early…

  • STATEMENT: State Senators Should Stop Denigrating State Employees Who Telework

    HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira issued the following statement: “While their official line is that they support telework, recent snipes from senators suggest that they would rather have government workers operating like it’s 1984. Meanwhile, their workforce — and the younger generation of workers who government so desperately needs to recruit in its worsening vacancy…

  • RELEASE: HGEA Wins Temporary Hazard Pay Arbitration Award Against the Department of Education

    HGEA Wins Temporary Hazard Pay Arbitration Award Against the Department of Education In our largest temporary hazard pay award to date, the Hawaii Government Employees Association won our long-standing arbitration against the state Department of Education, securing payment for employees who risked their health and safety throughout the pandemic. A significant number of the 7,800…

  • HGEA Prevails in Prohibitive Practice Complaint Against Maui Adult Mental Health Division

    A pilot program that would have considerably changed the work responsibilities of our members at Maui Community Mental Health Center’s Adult Mental Health Division was put on pause by the Hawaii Labor Relations Board pending consultation. The decision is a major victory for the rights of members in Units 3, 9 and 13 at the…

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